


The Original Cool Kids

by hariboo



Category: Fringe
Genre: Gen, Pre-Canon, minor language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-18
Updated: 2013-12-18
Packaged: 2018-01-05 00:54:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 900
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1087663
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hariboo/pseuds/hariboo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Charlie stands, hands on his hips, and starts in on Lincoln. “Oh no you don’t, Lee. You’re not driving my ride. I have seniority.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Original Cool Kids

**Author's Note:**

> ADVENT CALENDAR FIC! FOR AETENAE!

When Broyles recruits her and tells her she’s gonna have a partner, Olivia nods. That’s not a surprise; it’s protocol. She’s a rookie agent on top of that. So she smiles politely and tells him she can’t wait to meet them.

That’s not a lie, but she’s not looking forwards to it that much. She’s good with new people but not that many people in Fringe Division seem to smile and laugh freely. It’s been her goal to work her but walking in it felt so drab. Lifeless. Broyles tells her the name of her new partner and she’s suitably impressed. She’s heard of him in the Academy. He’s not quite a legend, but he’s a bit of a name. 

When Charlie Francis enters the room he walks right up to her and Broyles and smiles at her. “Ready for this, rookie?”

He’s got a deep voice -- Brooklyn accent, her brain tells her -- and there’s a careful tease in his eyes and sharpness in his smirk as he shakes her hand. Olivia likes him immediately. 

She laughs, then catches herself and sobers. “Born ready, sir.”

Charlie turns to Broyles and nods. “I like this one, sir.”

Broyles’ lips twitch. “So do I, Agent Francis. Let’s keep her alive.”

“Will do, sir.” Charlie nods and guides Olivia out of the room. Apparently they have been dismissed. She’s gonna have to learn Broyles’ vocal tells. She nods to him and follows Charlie out. She can’t help her curiosity. 

“So, you have trouble keeping your partners alive? Is that why I’m getting promoted?” 

Charlie pauses and cocks his eyebrow. His answer is a slow, sharp _yes, actually_. Oh. Fuck. Olivia cringes with her whole face and waves her hands in front of her. “Oh, shit. Sorry. I didn’t--”

Charlie’s face softens, and Olivia feels less like a shit. His next words are almost comforting. “It’s okay. It’s the job. You get used to it.” He then slaps her shoulder, lips curling. “Don’t worry, we’ll keep you alive, rookie.”

She rolls her eyes. “Thanks, let’s. And it’s Olivia. Or Liv.”

“Liv it is. Let me show you around.”

They get all called an hour later. She burns her arm and Charlie buys her a drink later. It’s a great first day.

-

Lincoln joins later. 

He comes to them by a death as well. His partner Nick Lane dies in a Level Four event and he spends months without a new partner. Olivia never meets Nick, but come across Lincoln in the middle of a case. He’s working it alone and Charlie tells her Lincoln has been brushing off new partners since Nick’s death. That happens sometimes. They’ve all seen it before. It makes even more sense when she learns Nick was apparently saving Lincoln’s life when he died. 

Olivia understands that guilt. She’s never felt it herself, but she understands it. 

In the middle of the case she partners with Lincoln - “call me, Linc.” - and they are pinned down in a shootout at the edge of a an air quality alert zone and his emergency oxygen bottle has been shot. They have to share her, but they get their perp. He tosses her empty bottle and she rolls her eyes, but pockets it back in her cargo pants.

After, he walks up to her and thanks her. She grins and shrugs. “Hey, no big deal. Couldn’t have you dropping on me, Linc. Somebody needs to watch your back.”

Something crosses his face, but he smiles and rocks back on his heels. “Please, I was watching _your_ back.”

“In your dreams, Lee,” she laughs and slaps his arm. He winces, exaggerated, and then Charlie is walking up to them, filling in them on what’s going to happen now and that they need to head back to Fringe Division. 

Olivia nods at Lincoln, telling him she’ll see him around, when he steps up, cutting her off. 

“Actually,” he starts, looking between her and Charlie, “I was wondering if I could get a ride? My ride got blown up.” He shrugs and Olivia looks over to Charlie, she’s fine with it. 

Charlie laughs and waves Lincoln over. “Sure, Lee. But, rule one. I drive.”

“And I ride shotgun,” Olivia says, already walking to the car. 

They hear Lincoln groan, but he follows them. 

He stays, after. Excuses himself after the debrief with Broyles and then comes up to them with a grin. 

“So, I have good and bad new for you two?”

Olivia and Charlie look at each other, brows raising. 

“Oh?” Charlie asks, but Olivia can see the amusement hiding at the corners of his mouth, 

“Good news: you guys have a new partner,” Lincoln grins, spreading his arms wide open, then he grins even wider. “Bad news: You’re gonna learn that _I_ drive, Francis.”

Olivia laughs (she had guessed as much already), but Charlie stands, hands on his hips, and starts in on Lincoln. “Oh no you don’t, Lee. You’re not driving my ride. I have seniority.”

“Yeah, I can see the grey hairs already,” Lincoln teases and Olivia cracks up. Charlie continues fuming, but when she looks up she notices Lincoln is looking at her and smiling at her. She smiles and throws him a wink. 

She has a good feeling about this.

\- 

That feeling lasts a long time and then she finds herself in her apartment and she knows everything has just changed.


End file.
